From Only You
by SomewhereInTheStars
Summary: After hearing a story from Florence's past, Lucy starts to receive letters from an anonymous source, but there is no sign to who it might be. Will this Christmas season end according to Florence's tale, or go off into tangents? I don't own anything!
1. Day One- The First Letter

The snow fell in a graceful ballet around the Scotland Yard, but the flurries outdoors had nothing compared to the whirlwind of Christmas spectaculars that blew through the offices, thanks to one Lucy Baker. She had spent hours preparing for the holiday, and the paper snowflakes in the hall, snowmen on the lawn, and even the young detective constable's trademark hat being traded in for a Santa hat showed the signs that Christmas was, indeed, coming. The once cluttered Mystery Room was packed to the brim with various decorations, from the hanging streamers to a blooming poinsettia on Alfendi's desk. Faint calls of carols could be, and often were, heard from the office, and Lucy's voice usually came along with it. Sometimes, by a stroke of pure luck, Alfendi would join in, his tenor voice blending in harmony with Lucy's sweet soprano.

This Christmas cheer seemed to spread all around the Yard, to the most happy offices of Sniffer and Florence, to even the Scrooges like Blaine. Lucy charmed them all with her smile, her own holiday spirit planting a seed that blossomed into true Christmas joy. Florence wrapped garland around the pole of her IV, and Sniffer wore around his very own novelty Christmas bow-tie. Blaine was less festive, but relented when Lucy graciously gave him a 'Bah Humbug' coffee mug. Needless to say, Blaine never drank his morning brew with out it.

Even the Commissioner and Hilda joined in. Hilda helped Lucy decorate the Mystery Room with a smile, and Barton decided to host a staff party. This was much to the others joy, and mostly for his own enjoyment as well. Lucy did make the best sugar cookies after all. Dustin, to say the least, gave up on cleaning many of the sections where Lucy had been, as whatever she touched, a decoration seemed to spring up. Everyone understood, and laughed every time Lucy saw a bare hallway that Dustin was gratefully sweeping. Dustin couldn't believe how much he actually could miss cleaning the offices of the Scotland Yard.

At the party, Lucy noticed that her chain, which carefully counted down the days until Christmas, was unbearably short. Squealing in delight, she ran over to count the festive loops near the Yard's 'family' tree. The tree and chain were both traditions that Lucy brought in new to the workplace. The chain was a reminder of home, and the little family gatherings on Christmas Eve, when the last chain was broken. The tree was a classic, and was decorated with an ornament for each employee at the Yard, their name inscribed on either a red, green, or blue bulb.

Arriving at the chain, Lucy noticed that Florence was also there, glancing at the few loops carefully, as if each one had a secret. Today, the forensic analyst looked livelier, partly due to the holiday, and because the cold outside had momentarily stopped the woman's ever-present runny nose. It didn't however, stop the woman from sneezing constantly, especially when talking to others. Glancing down from the chain, Florence weakly smiled at Lucy, and looked around for Alfendi. The two were close, yes, but the man hated any type of social gathering, and usually stuck next to Lucy if he was required to attend. Lucy smiled at the scientist.

"'E already went back up to th' Mystery Room," Lucy chuckled. Florence grinned, and followed it up by a cough.

"I do believe it is a record th- th- _achoo!- _though for him?" Lucy giggled. It was the running joke to see how long Alfendi would generally stay at the gatherings.

"T' give him credit, the Prof 'as been staying longer recently!" Lucy managed to get out. Florence let out a small chuckle to prevent any further spasms. Looking back up at the chain, a misty, nostalgic haze covered Florence's eyes.

"Yes, he has," she mused. "You're familiar with the Twelve Days of Christmas, correct?"

"Of, course, Flo! 'Ow could I not be!" Lucy acted offended, but Florence was to far off to notice the joke.

"Then I'm correct in my assumption that you have not hear about the myth surrounding the twelve days prior to Christmas, correct?" Florence asked, her tone as serious as ever. Lucy looked at her bewildered. "I will take that as a yes," Florence smiled.

"Well, wot is it!" Lucy's eyes shone with excitement. Florence smiled at the over zealous constable.

"Ah, Lucy, it's an old tale my mum used to tell me when I was little," Florence smiled at the memory, but was soon back to her story. "It was said that there was a man, granted he was very shy, who couldn't tell his feelings. He was more of a poet, a storyteller. So, this author had really written himself up a tragic love story, but this time it was in his on world." Florence paused to look at the shimmering glaze in Lucy's eyes.

"Go on, Florence! Don't leave me 'anging!"

"Alright, alright. This man devised a plan, a way to say his feelings without talking right to her. With his talent of words, he spun twelve beautifully crafted letters that he would give to the girl. These were meant to be presents, so not to conform, he gave them to her anonymously. On the-the -_Achoo!- _final day, Christmas none the less, he finally gave her the letter personally." A sneeze penetrated the flow of the words. Lucy was nearly bursting with excitement, her arms were bunched close to her chest, and her hands in fists, holding in the shrieks.

"So wot happened?" Lucy finally managed.

"The woman was surprised. The two had known each other for awhile, so it came as a welcome surprise, and the rest was history," Florence finished. Lucy was amazed.

"Oh, Florence!" She gushed. "That were amazing! Ee! Ju' think of it!" Lucy twirled around on spot.

"I didn't think you as the romantic, Lucy" Florence managed between coughs. Lucy continued to smile.

"Oh, not usually, but oh! The holidays jus' get me so excited and happy! I wish it were me in tha' story. Wouldn't it fantastic!" Florence chuckled weakly.

"I'm sure it will happen someday, Lucy. Just be patient!" Florence laughed. Reaching up to the paper chain, Florence ripped off the nearest link. "Anyway, if anyone were to want to send letters, it would be a little late now, eh?" Without either of their knowledge, a lone shadow was listening around the corner.

* * *

"Lo, Prof!" Lucy came bounding in the Mystery Room, full of energy as always. "Got th' mail again!" Each office was subjected to memos, and the Mystery Room was no exception. Personal letters were also acceptable, but very rare. "You got a letter from your father, I think, and a little pink envelope from on Miss," Lucy squinted at the curvy font. "... Flora Rein'old?" Alfendi grimaced.

"That would be my sister," he muttered. Taking the mail from Lucy's grip, Alfendi quickly shuffled though the various letters and memos. Half-way though the stack, he paused, and his face showed curiosity and slight discomfort. "Lucy, were you expecting mail?" Lucy looked up from the couch, where she had taken a habit of reading Alfendi's murder novels in their spare time.

"Me?" Lucy looked confused. "Nowt, Prof. I already got my ticket for th' ride home from my parents." Getting up, Lucy racked her brain for a reason why she would be receiving any letters.

"Ticket?" Alfendi asked, confused. He handed Lucy the letter.

"Oh, yeah. We 'ave off the day of Christmas, so m' parents got me day tickets to 'ave a quick visit on Christmas day," Lucy looked down at the parcel, so she couldn't see the almost hurt look on Alfendi' face. Her eyes hovering over the paper, Lucy walked back over to the couch, and Alfendi back to the desk. "Prof?"

"Hmm?" A small hum was his response.

"Did you recognize the 'andwriting?"

"Nope." Lucy frowned. _Real help you are today, _she thought. Upon inspection, there was no return address, or any sending address either. Relenting, Lucy gently opened the envelope. A small slip of paper fell out, with very few words neatly printed across it. Lucy almost threw up after reading them. An almost inaudible squeak escaped her lips, alerting the weary inspector at his desk. Over and over again, Lucy read the lines silently to herself.

_Dear Lucy,_

_I just wanted to say that Florence was wrong about being patient. You didn't have to wait very long to hear that you are beautiful._

"Lucy, are you quite alright?" Alfendi questioned. Lucy looked up, a very faint blush painted across her cheeks. She wasn't able to look him in the eyes, let alone speak.

"Hmm..." Lucy tried to clear her throat. "I-it's nowt, Prof. Nowt," Lucy's tone of voice eluded that something was very wrong. "I need, need to go talk to Florence!" Lucy quickly jumped up and ran to the Forensic Lab. Several people gave her strange looks as the detective constable sprinted though the desolate halls. Even the Commissioner stuck his head out of his office as Lucy rushed by.

"Flo! Florence, Let me in!" Lucy pounded on the door. A very disturbed Florence opened the door and shushed her.

"Jeez, Lucy! Who are you trying to get? Me, or the dead?" Florence sneezed. Lucy whipped out the letter.

"I got one, Florence!" Her voice was a mix of excitement and fear.

"One what? A dead body?" Florence held her hand out for the paper.

"A letter, Florence! One of the ones from your story!" Florence's mouth fell open in shock.

"H-how did it get to you?" Florence wondered aloud.

"The Prof found it in the mail! It were between his family letters," Lucy gushed. "Oh!" She exclaimed. "The person also said that they 'eard us talking at th' party!"

"That can't be possible- _Achoo!-_ We were alone!" Lucy just shrugged. "Well," Florence sighed, "You do know what this means?"

"Wot?" Lucy looked confused.

"We have a mystery in your Mystery Room."


	2. Day Two- The Second and Third Letters

"Florence, this doesn't go according to your story," Lucy stated, the tone of her voice annoyed. "I'm not gonna take to kindly to the person who thinks this is a funny joke." Her face was screwed up into a frown, and on the inside, she was an emotional mess. This letter, while almost creepy, had made her heart flutter. "You don't think, Flo, tha' this is a joke?" Lucy's voice was more sad than flustered now. Immediately after arriving at the Scotland Yard the next day, Lucy had headed to the Lab. She hadn't slept a wink the previous night, her mind only being able to dwell on the content of the letter. According to the legend, Lucy should have received the letter a day prior, making the whole ordeal sketchy.

In her heart, she wanted it to be real, that a man actually loved her, that he was to shy to tell her. Lucy wanted to feel loved for once, not because she was fun to be around anyway, but because she was someone her admirer thought about constantly. Her mind was screaming warning bells, telling her heart not to be so sensitive. This 'mystery man' was just messing around, and was a fake.

_It were probably 'er and Alfendi, thinking it were funny to mess with the gullible newbie, _Lucy thought with dismay. It wouldn't be the first time that a 'friend' had played one of these secret lover jokes on her. Several people had thought it would be funny on Valentine's Day especially, because why isn't fun to mess with little Lucy Baker? She'll believe it anyway.

"Lucy, you know I wouldn't do that to you," Florence said gently. Lucy looked up to see Florence's face soften. "I can see it in your-a-a-_achoo!-_ face. You think this is a joke, don't you?" Lucy just nodded. "Well, think about it this way. If the first letter said that he over heard us talking, correct? He wouldn't have heard of it before, so therefore he would have done it the day before if he knew," she finished just in time to sneeze. Lucy's eyes brightened, and the energetic constable that Florence came to be friends with was back.

"You know, Florence, tha' isn't bad thinking!" Florence smirked, knowing where this was going. "Ta very much, Flo! 'Ow am ever going t' repay you? I know! Christmas is coming an' I know exactly wot I'm getting you!" Lucy bounced up from her chair. Looking up at the clock, she noticed that she was very late to her office, the analog numbers reading nine. "Ee! I better be getting to t' office. The Prof won't mind," Lucy smiled. "'E never did anyway. Strange, eh? You'd think with that meticulous mind of his that the Prof would 'ate any form of late!" Lucy chuckled. Florence smiled back at her as Lucy skipped out of the office, a theory forming in her mind.

* * *

"G'morning, Prof!" Alfendi looked up form the desk, a knowing smile on his face. A new case file sat on the surface, almost untouched. Lucy smiled back at him, confused.

"Did you forget to set the alarm again, dear assistant?" Alfendi quipped. Lately the duo had come up with endearing nicknames for each other when one displayed a reoccurring habit. Lucy was often late, so 'dear assistant' was common, and Alfendi was often referred to 'my dear Alfendi', as it was difficult to call him anything but 'Prof.'

"Eh? No, actually. I were talking to Florence," Lucy trailed off. Alfendi looked skeptical, but let it go as quickly as it came. "Is tha' a new case I see?" Lucy quickly asked to change the subject. Alfendi's hair suddenly faded into a dangerous shade of crimson.

"Yes, it is. Now that you're here, we can finally dissect this worthless criminal's handiwork," Potty Prof smirked, pleased that he could have control this early on in the investigation. "I you wouldn't mind, it would be fantastic if you could read the case file." Lucy laughed, as she knew that he would just read them out-loud to her again. Taking the file, Lucy relented and attempted to read it. It was a particularly gruesome case, and she was surprised that either side of Alfendi had left it alone so far.

Checking the reconstruction device, Lucy saw that the light was on, and laughed. Alfendi hadn't been able to wait all that much after all. The door was ajar, and it was evident that he had been in there for a very short time before Lucy had arrived. Placid had probably backed out as soon as he realized that his faithful assistant would be cross with him if he solved the whole case.

"Couldn't wait?" Lucy remarked. Alfendi took this opportunity to throw another piece of paper at her.

"Yes, Baker. I couldn't wait. Just like whoever wrote this damn letter couldn't wait to slip it under the door," Alfendi almost sounded angry, but not at the sender, but almost at his self. Lucy's scarlet eyes widened, and turned the envelop in her possession over. "This better not be an everyday occurrence, Baker, because if whoever is shoving greeting cards under our office door is caught by me, they will be sorry." His hair returned to a pale purple.

"You okay, Prof?" Lucy wasn't used to such a sudden change.

"Yes, I suppose I am," Alfendi mused. "But please do refrain from telling whoever it is sending those letters to go to such extreme lengths." Lucy nodded, and supposed that it would be for the best not to tell her mentor the contents. Opening this letter much more quickly than the day before, two scraps of paper fell out this time. Lucy frantically picked both up, and scrambled to read them.

_I'm terribly sorry. I must have done the calculations wrong, as there are ten days until Christmas. So here is one. Your eyes like rubies, and I find it hard not to make eye contact with you._

Lucy was blushing terribly by the end of the first note, and was having difficulty controlling it. She looked up, hoping that the Prof hadn't noticed, but he was too wrapped up in the new case. After trying to calm herself down, Lucy relented and continued to read on to the next letter.

_As I said, I missed a day. Your accent was never hard to understand for me, and I can't imagine anything else so wonderful to listen to._

Lucy squeaked on instinct, covering her mouth. One thing that Lucy had always been self-conscience about was her accent. Countless teachers had tried to correct it, saying that it was thick even for a country girl. Over the years, Lucy had been able to get rid of the worst of it, in her opinion, and tried especially hard in the office.

"Lucy?" Alfendi's voice pulled her out of her reverie. Looking up, Lucy was met with his soft amber gaze.

"Eh, Prof? Do you think I'm hard to understand?" Lucy just wanted to make sure that at least her partner could understand her.

"Of course, Lucy. Now are you ready to start the case?"

"Definitely, Prof."


	3. Day Three- The Third Letter

Lucy walked to the Scotland Yard, full of a jittery feeling that she couldn't quite identify. She was excited as always for working with Alfendi, but with the fluttering in her heart, Lucy could tell that this was something else entirely. Electric shocks shot wildly though her body, and an encounter with anyone could possibly be her mystery sender. Many people gave Lucy strange looks in the hall, and one officer even took this as nervousness.

"Finally coming to realization that he's crazy, Lucy girl?" Lucy flinched. Not only at the question, but at the nickname. It was often used in derogatory manners and insults in school for her.

"Who's crazy?" Lucy couldn't quite come to terms with what the smug officer was asking. He snorted in response. "Wot's so funny officer? Would you like to share?" Lucy's temper was running short, and the light mood prior to the conversation was lost.

"Who else? Alfendi, of course!" The officer laughed, as if it was funny. Lucy's mood went from bad to worse. The man went to raise his hand to his forehead from his own joke, and Lucy lashed out, and grabbed his wrist on instinct. The officer was surprised to say the least, and several passers-by had stopped to watch the spectacle. Could it really be sweet little Lucy attacking that poor officer. One of them was Alfendi, unaware of the insult to himself being the start.

"Say it again, officer. Try me." Lucy had a deadly gleam in her eye, one that could have rivaled the Potty Prof's at his worst. The officer was starting to recover, at took this as a challenge.

"A-Alfendi-" Lucy tightened her grip on his wrist, but he managed to stammer out the rest. "He's crazy! How he got anyone as an assistant is a miracle!" Lucy snapped.

"Is tha' so? Then tell me-" Lucy brought the officer's face closer to her own and twisted the skin on his wrist, "Officer. Why does 'e have an assistant, while you don't? Have you done everything he has done? The Prof has done more in a year than you would be able to do in four years." The man actually looked frightened now. Alfendi, still oblivious to the meaning of the argument, pushed his way to the front of the crowd. Most of the people quickly got out of his way, and it was puzzling until he got to the center ring.

Alfendi's reaction was a look of astonishment. His assistant, who brought him his morning coffee everyday, smiled at everyone she met, and wouldn't hurt a fly, had one of the officers in a death grip. One of the lesser constables snickered.

"If only you had seen the beginning," she snickered. Alfendi winced, not sure if he would want to see anything to set Lucy off so badly. Seeing that he had to break up the fight, Alfendi started to walk over to Lucy, but one thing stopped him in his tracks.

"If you _ever _insult t' name of Alfendi Layton in front of me again, officer, your punishment will be a whole lot worse than this!" Lucy shrieked. Pushing him away, the man staggered, and paled in color once he caught sight of the figure behind his assaulter. Scrambling to get composure, he managed to run off, but not without pointing a shaking hand right past Lucy.

"Tha's right!" She shouted, turning on her heel. "He won't ever-" Lucy had shut her eyes, satisfied with her victory, feeling good about actually standing up for Alfendi. Then, she opened her eyes. "P-Prof?" Lucy stepped back slightly, hoping that he hadn't seen the ordeal, or at least heard it.

"Lucy, what was that about?" The look in his disheartened eyes gave away to Lucy that Alfendi already knew. She looked down, her posture shrinking down. Lucy brought her hand up to her elbow, and couldn't help feel that it had been her fault.

"I didn't start it, I think," Lucy muttered, ashamed that Alfendi had seen her break. Just then the Commissioner came up behind Lucy, and cleared his throat.

"Detective Constable Baker, may I have a word?" Lucy took one last look at Alfendi, who at this moment, looked more broken than ever.

* * *

"Lucy, it has come into my knowledge that you attacked an officer today," the Commissioner started of gently. Lucy looked down at her hands, ashamed. "Could I at least ask what caused you to attack Inspector Dartwright?" Lucy said his name over and over again in her head. _I only hope that the inspector doesn't hurt anyone with that pointy hair of his._

"He insulted..." Lucy's voice trailed off.

"The inspector insulted you?" Barton assumed that this was a matter of pride, but it didn't fit with his vision of Lucy.

"No, Commissioner. 'E did not offend my person." Lucy was close to tears. Not for the fear of losing her job, not for the penalty, but for a later conversation that would come after this one.

"Lucy, it would help if you would tell me who Blaine offended." Lucy couldn't hold it anymore. She started to sniffle, tears leaking out of the corner of eyes. The Commissioner looked astonished. He never would have pegged Lucy to cry like this. "Lucy, there is no real problem, this is just a warn-"

"He insulted Al-Alfendi!" Lucy sobbed. "He called the Prof crazy, twice. I don't care what the consequences are! I-I just can't take people talking about him like tha'! They don't know 'im, they run away from him just off assumptions!" Lucy was driving herself into hysterics. The Commissioner let her calm down, unsure of what to do otherwise. The next time Lucy spoke, her voice was a hoarse whisper.

"Do you know what 'e said to me?"

"Lucy-"

"'Finally come to realization that 'e's crazy?' I were like Blaine," his name came out as a snarl, "Expected me to break, to call my own friend crazy." Lucy looked so torn apart.

"You know, Lucy, no one has ever done that for him," Barton put his hand on her shoulder. Looking up, Lucy met the Commissioner's kind eyes, and knew his wasn't kidding. "You're the first, and though it was a bit dramatic, it will mean a lot to him."

"You really think so, Commissioner?"

"I do. Now, please refrain from attacking the other officers, if you can."

* * *

Lucy quietly opened the door to the Mystery Room, still trying to wipe the redness from her eyes. The office was dark, and the only light was from the reconstruction room. It seemed to be Alfendi's only release. Picking up the case file from the desk, Lucy strained her eyes in the dim light to read the details. Suddenly, a light flicked on.

"It's best if you turn on light when reading, Lucy," Alfendi's tired voice stated. Lucy looked up at her mentor, and was barely able to hold his gaze for more than a few seconds.

"I know tha' it bothers you int' reconstruction device," Lucy's lousy response came quietly. "You probably already finished solved it anyways."

"What did he say?"

"Not to do it again?" Lucy tried to pass it off as a question about the Commissioner.

"You know I don't mean Barton," Alfendi snarled, his hair taking a dangerous hue. "Tell me what Blaine said, now. I will not having you dodging questions."

"..." Lucy mumbled under her breath. Alfendi walked right up to her, and taking her face in his hand, snapped it up to look at him. Unable to keep it in any longer, Lucy relented.

"H-he called you crazy, Prof." If the two weren't so close, Alfendi wouldn't have been able to hear her soft whisper. "'Nd you're not. You're brilliant, yes. Cunning, yes. And yes, you 'ave a personality disorder. Yes, you tend to threat'n people. But one thing you're not is crazy." Lucy stopped talking, but Alfendi still held her in his grip, and could see the small orb of water forming in the corner of her eye. This close, he could see that she wasn't lying, and despite the chance of suspension, believed her words, in him.

Letting himself go, Alfendi's hair dimmed to a placid purple. His hand loosened its grip, and he let Lucy down. Turning away, he walked over to his desk, ashamed of himself and his actions.

"You mean to tell me, after all the things I've done, you don't think that I'm... that I'm insane? I threaten my own assistant and co-workers. Florence set up a phone line between the lab and this office so she didn't have to interact as often. And look at me! Even after grabbing your face to talk to you, you still claim I am sane. Would a sane man do any of those things?" Alfendi lowered himself into the chair. "I'm sorry, Lucy," he tried, but he felt it would be of no use.

"S'okay, Prof." An awkward silence cut through the air, with Lucy still standing and Alfendi sitting at his desk. After what seemed like ages, he broke the silence.

"You have another letter. I was going to check the mail," Alfendi paused,"earlier, and it seems as though the sender had better plans." Lucy silently walked over to the desk and gently took the envelope from his hands. Walking over to the couch, Lucy decided that she would go home and open it. Much had happened in the last two hours, and the constable couldn't bear to stay in the office much longer.

"Prof," she started. "I-I think I better be goin'. I don't think tha' I'm in the righ' mind to think right now." Alfendi nodded tiredly, and Lucy slipped out the door. Along the way out of the building, several people avoided her, including a tall man in glasses. Dustin tried to smile, but Lucy kept her head down and continued to walk until she met an actual physical obstacle, which happened to come in the form of Hilda.

"Sorry 'Ilda," Lucy muttered, and started to go off again. Hilda, seeing none of this, grabbed her wrist, causing Lucy to flinch and recoil. "I'll talk tomorrow, 'Ilda. Jus' not now." Hilda let her go, and stood bewildered at the sight and attitude of the broken detective constable.

Lucy didn't stop once along the way home, until she got to the correct building. Turning the key, Lucy quickly locked it and ran to her bed, tears already streaming down her face. She got under the covers fully dressed and sobbed into the pillow, turning it over when the tears stained to deep. Finally, after an hour of just letting it out, Lucy reached into her pocket, the letter being the last thing she wanted to see before succumbing to sleep. Opening it, Lucy wiped her nose with her sleeve, even if it was unladylike. This time, the letter was much more close to home than she would've cared to admit.

_Dearest Lucy,_

_Even when you fight, whether it be for him, you manage to have that passion that could only be yours. You never cease to amaze me, or the whole Scotland Yard, for that matter._

Lucy read the letter again, and before closing her eyes to the world, let a final tear leak out.


	4. Day Four- The Fourth Letter

**Attention: If you are uncomfortable with mentions of suicide, skip down to the break. It is not especially important to the story, but it might come up again. Hence the new rating. Thank you very much, and I am open to suggestions for future days in this story! **

Lucy woke up groggily the next morning, as well as naturally. Glancing a tired eye over to the analogue clock, the numbers were mere minutes from shrieking their warning at the woman at seven in the morning. Disorientated, Lucy brought her hands up in fists to rub her eyes, only to be met with a slip of paper stuck to her cheek. Peeling it off slowly, Lucy winced as the last of the paper came loose from her skin. Reading the content, a sickening feeling of dread formed in her stomach as Lucy remember the events of the day prior.

Blaine insulting the Prof, and her attacking him for it. Lucy remembered going into the Commissioner's office, only to reduce herself to tears. Finally, Lucy came to terms with the fact that Alfendi had asked about the fight, and his mental state. Lucy sat straight up in her bed, the voice of her friend echoing in her ear._ Would any sane man do those things? _Lucy's heart broke itself right in two again, the temporary stitches tearing at the seams.

Despite the time coming back from meeting with Justin, Alfendi never showed the emotion of shock, or allowing others to see that he was hurt. Placid was shook up for several days after learning his origins, and Potty was just angry at himself, and especially Justin. Lucy often looked to him in the cases where she could get caught up in her own emotions, where Alfendi could stay as calm as collected until interrogation, where his darker person could show the wide range of rage and pleasure in crime.

Yesterday, however, was another story. Placid always looked tired from sleeping in the office, but the look his softened honey eyes had given was on of own self-loathing. Even Potty Prof couldn't quite handle the thought of others talking down of him, to his own assistant, no less. Lucy really felt no emotion as of this stage in the morning, other than disappointment in herself. Lucy felt the weight of Alfendi's burden as her own, and was a habit from her childhood.

When Lucy was a child, her best friend, Amelia, and her had been inseparable. The two were born on the same day in September, and always joked with their parents that they took the wrong child home. If that had been the case, Amelia probably would still be alive, and Lucy would have taken her place. At the age of seven, Amelia had started to wear make-up, the heavy stuff little Lucy had only seen in pageants. As they got older, the make-up grew more prominent, and the more Amelia fell into a depression. At fifteen, Lucy saw a blossoming purple bruise from the corner of her make-up, and a week later, Amelia was gone, swinging in the rafters.

While she had told no one else, Amelia was a victim, and Lucy never forgave herself for not seeing it. So, she went into law enforcement, but the sight of young victims was hard. When they were younger, Lucy and Amelia held a bond of twins without being so, and when Amelia died, it didn't break. It grew larger, and Lucy found it hard not to sink into depression at the sight of the trouble in the world. Now, with Alfendi, was one of those times.

Grabbing her uniform, and a bottle of prescribed pills, Lucy changed and headed out the door, praying along the way she wouldn't need to hurt her wrist opening the twist cap.

* * *

Lucy walked along the common rout to the Scotland Yard, her heart heavy from the memories. While she was prone to accepting despair, Lucy had the light of hope that most people saw every day, that was taken from recollections of joyful days. Lucy was stuck on the problem of having to face Alfendi again; yesterday's situation left the pair off at polar ends of an argument, and Lucy wasn't sure if her Prof would let it go as easily as she wound hop. Alfendi was stubborn, excessively so, and Lucy had a pit of dread in her stomach that told her he would not let this pass over. Lucy entered the doors of the Scotland Yard with a blurry mind, her own thought to smile and pass everything off as normal.

Upon arriving at the Mystery Room, Lucy was having second thoughts about going into work, but too many people had seen her on the way to turn back now. Lucy hesitated when reaching for the door knob, her hand hovering right over the polished brass knob. Lucy felt her hand reach into her bag for the pill bottle, and unconsciously unscrew the cap. Tilting her head back, Lucy took the capsule, just in case. The case wouldn't need her to show a range of emotions.

"Lucy, if you are going to come in, if you could do so now," Alfendi's muffled voice emanated from the office, causing Lucy nearly to drop her water bottle. Entering the Mystery Room, Lucy kept her head down, unable to even look at her mentor. The air was incredibly thick, and Lucy was finding it hard to breathe, as if the tension was choking her. Noticing this unhappy essence around his usually bubbly assistant, Alfendi spoke up.

"You know, Lucy," he started. Lucy glanced up to see the Prof's face soft with an emotion she had never seen before. "I really do appreciate what you did for me yesterday, even if I do disagree. If it means anything." The emotion he was displaying was pure gratitude, which had been there for a short moment after Forbodium. Lucy regretted taking the pill immediately.

"It does, Prof," she said softly. "I hope you know tha' one day, you're gonna believe me." Lucy was shocked at the words coming out of her own mouth. She tried not to wince, worried about Alfendi's reaction. He simply smiled gently at her, as if he had something else to say but couldn't.

The two worked again in harmony though the day, Lucy and Alfendi both in the rhythm of working together, the events of yesterday almost forgotten. The duo had a particularly obscure case that day, and easily figured it out. Each odd detail fit together after working it out, and it was time for the interrogation of Robert Steel. He was accused of breaking and entering, along with the murder of the woman whose home he broke into. This unsuccessful cover-up warranted Potty Prof's appearance, and Lucy was startled and surprised when he did not go away after the Steel was taken away. In his hand, he held a letter once again to Lucy.

"I wish your mystery sender had the decency of actually giving the letter to you, because quite frankly, I'm sick of delivering them to you," the darker persona of Alfendi complained as Lucy snatched the letter out of his hands.

"I tell 'im, but I don't know who he is." Lucy stated simply. This set Potty Prof even more.

"You don't _know?_" The way the question was phrased almost made it seem like Alfendi knew. Lucy sighed.

"It's anonymous, Prof. I don't think I'll know for aw'ile," Lucy remarked. "I'm glad I took that pill." Lucy added under her breath. Alfendi looked at her strange, hair dimming for a moment, but the crimson was back in a moment. He muttered a 'whatever' and went back to his desk. Opening the letter, Lucy only hoped that it was less alarming as the last.

_Dear Lucy,_

_Even the little things you do for others makes you a better person than I'll ever be_

At this point in the day, Lucy was absolutely sure that her mystery writer was not a famous writer at all, and was very glad she had brought her pills.


	5. Day Five- The Fifth Letter

Lucy and Alfendi worked diligently into the late hours of the night, until the stars shone under the layer of London fog. Alfendi had cooled down after the letter fiasco, but said one last thing before Placid took over.

"I do hope you intend to keep that promise." Lucy was startled, but Alfendi's dominant persona had already taken over and chose to neglect that the phrase had ever been said. After finishing a sufficient amount of cases in both of their eyes, Lucy finally decided to go home. It had been a long and particularly stressful day, and just wanted it to end sooner rather than later.

Walking home, Lucy had a feeling that she knew who her anonymous sender was in her heart, but her brain just couldn't keep up with it. Even when arriving home, Lucy lied awake for hours, trying to ask her heart for the answer to the seemingly impossible puzzle. Another thing about the wonderfully stupid letters was that every day, the handwriting switched, as if the person was having difficulty deciding the font of his own hand. Today, the note had the same scrolling font as the prior day, but the first letter was written much sloppier if anything. Lucy had passed it off as practice, but felt that the original handwriting could very well show up again tomorrow.

The whole ideal was stressing Lucy out more than make her fall in love, although the man writing these to her had become that perfect man in Lucy's mind. As she buried her head into her pillow one last time, Lucy could have sworn that a familiar shadow was stamped into her mind as the answer.

* * *

The next day was a lot easier to get through. Lucy was back to her normal, bubbly self without any help, and Florence took note. When Lucy finally entered the Scotland Yard, she was assaulted immediately by the sickly analyst, and dragged to the lab. Lucy was startled, but felt that this would be a good way to bring Florence back into the topic of the letters. If anyone would have a candidate for the sender's identity, it would be Florence.

"Lucy! What wer-we- _Achoo!- _were you thinking?" Florence was obviously a bit too out of the loop. Lucy blushed, realizing how it ridiculous it was that she had almost punched the most prestigious officers in the force.

"I attacked Blaine," Lucy couldn't help but frown at that detail. "I weren't aware that it were 'im until the Commissioner told me. I couldn't believe it." To Lucy, this had almost hurt as much as the insult. She had considered Blaine as a acquaintance, if anything, and even put effort into making him smile for one second of his life. "I guess tha' were a toxic friendship, eh?" Florence chuckled a bit before coughing, and the two chatted for awhile about the letters Florence hadn't heard about. Curious as ever, Florence asked Lucy,

"You keep mentioning that Al finds the letters, not you. How does he react?" Florence quipped. The way that it was meant to be answered was 'Is Alfendi jealous' but Lucy's innocent mind didn't take it that way.

"Oh, he's jus'a tad angry tha' neither one of us know the sender. It's funny, 'ow he doesn't know the context, but wants to know t' sender," Lucy chuckled. Florence smiled at Lucy's joke, but knew there was something more, but let Lucy go anyway. However, as Lucy left, Florence noticed a small object and rolled over to pick up the item that Lucy had dropped.

* * *

"Mornin' Prof!" Lucy burst through the door as if nothing had happened, and Alfendi was glad. The whole concept of displaying constant emotions was straining on both personalities, and was happy to know today wouldn't bring that. Lucy happily went to get them tea again, and even remember Alfendi's favorite way of making his own. Both were happily moving along, until Lucy had left to get the tea for a third time. That was when the phone rang from forensics.

Alfendi brought the old corded receiver to his ear, assuming it was for him. A slight cough was heard on the other end. Alfendi rolled his eyes, knowing it was Florence calling.

"Oh, Lucy, could you come down to see me? You left your pills in the lab this morning. I feel that you would want them back. How come you never told me?" Alfendi piqued and eyebrow, curious.

"She isn't here right now, Flo, but I will give Lucy the message." Florence froze on the other end.

"Al-Alfendi?" Florence stuttered.

"Yes, Florence? What are the pills for?"

"N-Nothing."

"Like hell they are, Florence."

"I don't believe it's my place, Alfendi. It's Lucy's to tell you about her dep-" Florence sucked in a breath, stopping herself mid sentence. "I need to go, Al. Just tell Lucy to see me." The line went dead as Lucy nudged the door open with steaming tea in her hands.

"I got th' tea, Prof! Here's your- What's wrong?" Alfendi had a blank look on his face, realizing what Florence was getting at. Lucy struggled with depression, and no one at the Scotland Yard could tell. Looking up at his assistant, he tried to quickly look for a sign before taking his tea with a silent thanks.

"Nothing, just Florence needs to see you. Said something about leaving something in the lab," Alfendi said, the emotions gone. "If you could check the mail as well, on your way." Lucy rummaged through her bag, quickly realizing the missing item. All color drained from her face. Getting up, Lucy ran to the lab, not bothering to say anything to Alfendi.

* * *

"Lucy, how come you- you-_Achoo!-_ never told anyone?" Florence handed an ashamed Lucy her pill bottle back. She looked away from her friend.

"It's nowt to share, really. Don't want t' burden anyone," Lucy passed it off. "It hasn't been bad in aw'ile, 'onest." Florence looked disbelieving, but with Lucy's constant happiness, there really wasn't much to argue with. "I'll see you later, okay?" Florence nodded.

Walking to the mailboxes, Lucy realized that her depression had actually improved quite a bit since joining the force. All the new friends that she had made, Florence, Hilda, Sniffer, Dustin, and, of course, Alfendi, had all helped her ease the pain almost to oblivion. It would just take getting used to. Arriving at the mail boxes, Lucy picked up the small stack and noticed her daily letter was indeed in the original chicken-scratch font. Lucy smiled, feeling that she was getting to know her sender' quirks like her knew hers. Flipping open the envelope, she read:

_Dearest Lucy_

_You are so strong, and a rock to me if you don't know. I hope you can trust me._

Lucy smiled, knowing that when all of this was over, that she would be able to trust this man completely.

**A head cannon of mind for Lucy is that she did have a difficult childhood, resulting in bouts of depression. Her younger years were why she joined the force so early, and I feel that she is better when around other people, like her symptoms are almost reversed. Sorry for all the sad and awful head cannons; they will go away tomorrow :)**


	6. Day Six- The Sixth Letter

Lucy went along her day as normal, and kept her spirit light, but could tell something was bothering Alfendi. Passing it off as memories of Forbodium, which often troubled him, Lucy smiled along. Ever since the duo had come back, and Alfendi had found about his own false memories, certain objects that held importance were often questions, and getting rid of the false memories was even more painful. Even with the truth, Alfendi, especially Placid, had difficulty with bringing anything of the sort up without losing all concept of work and conversation.

The case the duo was working on was particularly awful, and could put a damper on anyone's Christmas spirit. The case file had been labeled as 'The Twelve Days of Murders,' which had been living up to its title for the past six days. Every day, the culprit left a new verse from the carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas' and the given number of bodies with some resemblance to the poem. The whole ordeal was chilling, and didn't settle with anyone in the Scotland Yard very well. It was the first major spree of killings since the Jigsaw Puzzle murders, and Lucy figured that was what caused the Prof's mood to damper.

Despite the solemn mood, Lucy kept to herself in a much happier way, almost relieved that she had told someone, even if it wasn't the whole story. Still, the letter stuck in her mind. Could this mystery sender be Florence, trying to pull the wool over her eyes? No one else would know other than family members, and it was not a conversation that Lucy ever wished to have with Alfendi. Lucy managed to work and think, however, because soon it was the end of the day, and even Alfendi was getting ready to leave for once.

"I trust you will come in tomorrow?" Alfendi asked, passing his voice off as nonchalant. Lucy laughed.

"Of course, Prof. I already told you tha' I love working 'ere, with you," Lucy responded. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she and Alfendi chatted along until they came to the door of the Scotland Yard, where each would go their separate ways. Smiling in the moonlight, Lucy waved over her head as Alfendi looked back at her one last time.

"Good night, Prof!" Her voice was louder than the cars whirring by on the streets. Alfendi chuckled, glad to see his assistant in such a good mood.

"Have a good night, Lucy." That night, each went to bed without a problem.

* * *

Walking along to work, Alfendi stopped to notice that all of these letters to Lucy would have to stop coming eventually, and that it would preferably happen sooner or later. A harsh voice spoke in the back of his head, agreeing in full.

_Yes, it would be fantastic to have letters stop being 'shoved' under the door, now wouldn't it. _Potty Prof vehemently whispered. Despite delivering the letters himself, the darker side of Alfendi Layton detested the whole idea of being a mailman for this sender. Groaning, Alfendi entered his office thirty minutes before the whole of Scotland Yard would be awake.

* * *

G' Morning, Prof!" Lucy bounced into the Mystery Room. "I brought coffee!" She sang in a sing-song voice. Alfendi looked up at her and chuckled. The fact that Lucy still brought him tea or coffee everyday had grown on him, and he enjoyed it greatly. As much as he would hate to admit it, Alfendi loved this little habit of Lucy's. He smiled warmly at Lucy in response, making her cheeks flush.

_Has 'e ever smiled like tha' before?_ Lucy thought. Grinning to pass it off, Lucy walked away and brought her hand up to her cheek, and felt the rosy warmth painted across her face. Lucy mentally slapped herself. This was not the time for feelings, on the Prof no less! _Besides, _Lucy thought, _there is always tha' mystery sender. _

Plopping down on the plush orange couch, Lucy heard the noise of paper crinkling and the rough texture of something rigid underneath her. Looking up from his paperwork, which he did more often than Lucy, Alfendi smiled once again at his assistant.

"I figured you'd look before you sat," Alfendi said gently. "Your letter arrived today. And, as the holidays draw nearer, Lucy, I was wondering if you would be going home for the holidays." Lucy blinked, and then nodded. Alfendi' smile faltered.

"Aye, my mum boug't me a day trip to go see her and m' pop, but I will be back in time for the ball," Lucy explained. She had planned on this, and hoped that her mystery man would reveal himself to her at the annual Scotland Yard ball. Lucy had never gone, but had heard from Florence that Alfendi's father, being a man of great influence in London, funded it every year. Alfendi had mentioned it as well, but had less than kind words from Potty Prof's stand point.

"Wot about you, then?" Lucy quipped.

"Oh, I guess I will see you at the ball then," Alfendi sighed. Lucy sat up straighter.

"_You're _going to the ball?" Lucy had pinned him as the one to stay at home for such events, especially with his track record for the small get-togethers she had hosted during the work day itself.

"With my father," his voice emphasized the word 'father',"having such a large role, it wouldn't be very gentlemanly if I didn't go." The whole party sounded like a great task to Alfendi, another moment where he couldn't live up to the role of his father, the gentleman. His dad, the famous archaeologist, the brilliant professor. Alfendi shook it out of his mind.

"I guess I'm goin' to see you there, then, huh?" Lucy sounded almost excited, and it surprised the both of them. Alfendi felt some of that joyful attitude wash over onto him, and Lucy realized how elated she was to be going, knowing Alfendi would be there.

"Yeah, erm, yes, you will." Alfendi smiled at her for the third time, and found in her letter that her sender's favorite thing was the way her eyes lit up when she genuinely smiled.


	7. Day Seven- The Seventh Letter

The next day, Alfendi and Lucy worked diligently on the Twelve Days murders case. Several clues were missing, and it was hard to figure out the culprit's motives or style, as everyday brought a new verse, a new method of killing, and a new group of misfits. As of day seven, Lucy was releaved to know that as right now, no children had been in the files. However, there was a small baby-pink shoe found at today's sight, and it troubled Lucy greatly.

"Prof," Lucy whispered weakly. "You don't think tha' we might," Lucy couldn't end the sentence, and couldn't speak with the lump that had formed in her throat. She looked, shaken, at Alfendi, and he seemed to be deep in thought, and only glanced her way when he heard a small hiccup emit from her mouth. Disturbed from his thoughts, Alfendi looked down to his assistant, who was trying to remain in control.

"Please, Prof say tha'-" Alfendi cut her off.

"No, I do not think that it was a child who was taken," he said gently. So much had happened, and Alfendi now knew that this message needed to be displayed with tact. Seeing Lucy look down again, Alfendi placed his hand on her shoulder on instinct, and it surprised both of them. Casting her eyes, that shone like rubies with tears, on his softened amber irises, Lucy lost it.

Heaving herself into his arms, sobs racked Lucy's body, awful noises of sorrow escaping her mouth. Alfendi stood there dumbstruck, not knowing what to do with the obviously broken girl attached to him. His heart breaking for her, Alfendi wrapped his arms around her softly, letting her know it was okay to cry, to let it out. Sinking to her knees, Lucy took her Prof down with her.

Lucy had fallen silent, but still tears leaked onto the soft blue and red fabric of Alfendi's sweater. Her mind was a mess, not only because of the case, but of the predicament she had forced herself into. She had thrown herself into her mentor's arms, and sobbed right into him, and her responded. Not by yelling, not by pushing her away, but by taking Lucy in, and Lucy could have sworn that she had seen a flash of crimson before her own tears.

Sniffling, Lucy mumbled, "T' very much, Prof." He squeezed her gently and released her, setting her into a comfortable sitting position.

"It's nothing, Lucy. It's understandable. The topic isn't one I'm comfortable with either," Alfendi, who was seemingly calm about the situation, stated. Lucy just nodded. "A child definitely wasn't taken. Up until now, we assumed it was a single person, but I don't believe that is the case." Lucy's tear stained eyes widened.

"You don' mean-"

"I do believe it is two, rather three people. A family." Lucy looked crushed. "I don't want that to be the outcome, but at least the child will be safe, even if with her parents. Now, I do believe it is time for a break," Alfendi finished. Lucy waved him out, and he walked out, buttoning the lab coat's only button, successfully covering the large tear stain.

Potty Prof emerged right after leaving the office. "My god, reduced to tears. And what do I do? Hug her back. What have you gotten us into?" Alfendi voiced his opinion out loud. He wasn't exactly mad, but wasn't happy that the case investigation had ended the way it had. He groaned. Potty Prof realized that he was sounding like his other self.

_Please, just get the mail, _Placid said from the crevices of his mind.

**So we can do what? Give her the letter again?** Potty Prof retorted. Placid groaned inwardly.

_Just do it. According to what Florence said, it should end soon. _The darker persona growled at the subconscious personality, and went off to find a paper and pen.

* * *

Lucy sat in the Mystery Room, heart aching, awaiting her Prof. Something had shattered inside her earlier, and some how he had mended it back together. Her heart had been so heavy, and Lucy couldn't realize that she had needed a shoulder to cry on, and that shoulder had been Alfendi. Her heart twisted in her chest, and Lucy stopped to think.

Could Alfendi, her Prof, be the one who made her actually happy? Lucy could't imagine the thought of him being like that before, and her mind was shooting sparks every second. Eventually, Lucy's mind tired out before Alfendi came back, and Lucy fell asleep on the soft orange couch.

* * *

Alfendi came back into the Mystery Room, that day's envelope in hand, a greeting on his lips. It soon evaporated when he saw he lovely assistant on the couch. Lucy had fallen asleep on the couch, her hat tilting slightly off her head. Her face was calm, and only slight tear stains ran down her cheeks. Involuntarily, Alfendi smiled, and placed a little white envelope in her bag for her to find later.

* * *

Lucy woke up to a soft light, the last glimpse of the sun fading behind the clouds. Fluttering her eyelids, Lucy noticed that Alfendi was hovering around the room, not getting much work done at all. She laughed softly. He looked over to her and frowned slightly, wondering what was so funny.

"Get much done, Prof?" Lucy giggled from her position on the couch. Alfendi blushed, his hair taking a darker turn.

"I was working, much to your example," he sneered.

"Eh? You could'e woken me up," she muttered. Alfendi smiled.

"You looked too peaceful." Lucy looked at his funny. "What?" His hair was still crimson.

"You said summat nice."

"Yes so- It was not nice, Baker!" Potty Prof raged. Lucy had gotten up and had gathered her items, so that she was up and about. She hugged him, if only for a short time.

"T' very much, Prof. It meant a lot." She smiled, and left the Mystery Room. Along the way, she rifled through her bag, finding the letter. Lucy was surprised, and realized she had forgotten. It read,

_Dear Lucy,_

_I hope to always be there for you, even if you never will know._

Lucy went home smiling, knowing she had two people who would always be there for her.


	8. Day Eight- The Eighth Letter

Lucy woke up to the sound of knocking on her door, as it was Saturday. Groaning, she smashed the snooze button on the alarm clock, and got aggravated when the noise didn't stop. Lucy sat up, realizing it wasn't the clock, and tried to make her presentable. She pulled on slim yoga pants and a sweatshirt, and fixed her skewed cap as she walked to the front door of her flat, yawning. Looking around her flat, Lucy really hoped that who ever was at the door didn't expect to come in.

Various papers were scattered around the room, and the living area seemed like a parallel to the Mystery Room. The kitchen had barely any food, and there was one scoop left of coffee. Miscellaneous items of clothing were lying on the floor leading to her room, the result of an unsuccessful attempt to carry all her laundry without a basket. Finding a mug with a little left-over coffee, Lucy shrugged and took a sip of the bitter fluid as she opened the door.

"Baker. Glad to see you're awake." Potty Prof stood with his arms crossed, hair disheveled as usual. Lucy shrieked in surprise, shutting the door behind her.

"P-Prof? Wot are you doing... at m' flat?" Lucy stammered. He narrowed his eyes, wondering why his assistant had closed her door to himself and her.

"Because, Lucy. Crime doesn't stop, and neither has our criminal. We have new evidence, because of you, actually." Lucy looked shocked.

"Prof, I 'aven't done anything. We worked on everythin' together," Lucy explained. She was was now realizing how grungy she must have looked to him.

"The child's shoe that _you_ pointed out. It had hair samples that could be traced to a family of three. I was right about that one," Alfendi brought his hand up to his chin in thought as his hair dimmed.

"So didj' find the family?" Lucy's interest was piqued.

"Unfortunately, no. We have a name, Klaus, but no location. There is a little girl, three, who travels with her mother and father. She was born on Christmas, hence-"

"Th' last day is going to be the biggest present of them all." Lucy felt a sinking feeling in her chest. "Isn't that the wrong way it goes though? The Twelve Days of Christmas 'appen _after _th' holiday."

"Hm. That is a detail that they overlooked. Anything for their daughter, I suppose," Alfendi pondered the new information. Lucy saw the confusion, and noticed how little Alfendi knew about a lot of the Christmas legends. Earlier in the month, he could barely keep up with the rest of the officers' Christmas trivia, which Lucy had to host for fairness, and only got one right. Christmas carols were forced upon him by Lucy, and with his memory, Alfendi caught on quickly. Lucy made up her mind.

"I know tha' the case is still going on, but I think today is a day we both deserve off. Have you ever seen any Christmas movies, Prof?" Lucy had a stash of almost every Christmas movie known to man in her living room. Alfendi blushed.

"Well, I fell asleep during-"

"Then it's settled!" Lucy pulled him into her flat, and cleaning up as she went along, leaving Alfendi little time to process what was going on. He took in every detail, and noticed a number of newspapers. They all had their names side by side, highlighted in bright pink streaks. A picture from the first employee party she had hosted. It was a picture of Lucy and himself, obviously taken by Lucy herself, given the angle. She had somehow managed to get him to smile for a picture.

Lucy dragged him into the den, rambling on about how she couldn't believe that he hadn't seen a Christmas movie and how could she couldn't possibly choose which one to watch, but somehow that resulted in Rudolph. Alfendi sighed and sat down, knowing Lucy's persistent nature wouldn't let him leave. She fluttered around the room, and popped the disk into the reader and hopped onto the couch right next to him. Smiling, she looked up to him.

"I think tha' you'll like this one. It's m' favorite." Lucy pressed play. Alfendi wasn't sure how to feel about watching a kids' movie with his _22-year-old _assistant, but he eventually stopped making snarky comments as his sarcastic personality, and grew to feel awful about the poor talking reindeer's predicament. Exiled for being different, even by peers and his parents. Alfendi felt almost sick until a female character came on. Clarisse. He noticed that Lucy sang along to the little song she had, hitting every note softly and every lyric memorized.

Lucy noticed that Alfendi had been staring at her. "Is summat wrong, Prof?" Lucy was worried that he hated it. _Maybe this were a bad idea. _She thought.

"No, no. Just, how do you know all the words?" Alfendi asked, waving off the sickness he felt. It had started to go away, talking to a very similar parallel.

"To the song, or th' movie. 'Cause I know both." Alfendi laughed, and Lucy pointed a finger at him. "I'm serious. I watch it every year," her voice cracked at the end, and Lucy ended up laughing along with him. Lucy had never heard him truly laugh, without sarcasm or threats, and she loved the sound of it. It was infectious. Soon, tears were streaking down both of their cheeks, Alfendi making the same realization. The movie had ended by the time they had stopped.

"Aw, Prof we missed it!" Lucy giggled.

"Ah, well. We can watch it next year, no?" He smiled. Lucy realized that she was already looking forward to it. "Thank you, Lucy. I'd best be going. See you tomorrow, though. We need to pull some more investigation, alright." Lucy couldn't wait.

That night, Lucy made it her job to tidy up her flat, just incase there were anymore surprise visits. Among the newspapers, there was a little white envelope. Lucy paled. Opening it, Lucy knew what her heart had been telling her.

_Dear Lucy,_

_You are my Clarisse, because you have believed in me, when the others have given up._


	9. Day Nine- The Ninth Letter

Alfendi woke up several hours earlier than anyone else, no matter what the time. Lucy had often left him at the Mystery Room at near midnight, and could come in at her earliest, which was often eight thirty, and could find that he had already been up for a hour. This time, however, Alfendi was already up, and had been since the night prior. He couldn't sleep, no matter what mind set. With the help of several cups of coffee, Alfendi got his brain into working order, and set off for Lucy's flat. Even though it was only eight, and Lucy wasn't expecting him for another hour, he figured he would stop off to get them both something for breakfast. After all, she had been so kind to him yesterday.

Walking along the main road to Lucy's flat, the scents and aromas of each quaint bakery and cafes floated into the streets. Alfendi took every smell in, looking for one in particular. Following his nose, Alfendi found the smell of sugary cinnamon coming from a small cafe near Lucy's place, and entered, finding his prize. Alfendi purchased a large cinnamon roll for Lucy, as he knew they were her favorite, and bought a small blueberry muffin for himself. Alfendi also got them both a small coffee, a hazelnut brew for Lucy and black for himself.

Checking his watch, Alfendi noticed that it was already nearing nine, and the first rays of the sin were edging their way over the industrial horizon of London. Thanking the woman at the counter, whose cooking he appreciated much more than his sister's, Alfendi dashed out of the cafe and hurried over to Lucy's flat, as not to conform to her late habits.

* * *

Lucy woke up at eight thirty, sharp, and hurried to get ready. Alfendi seemed excited to get to go to a real crime scene, at least Potty Prof had, and Lucy couldn't disagree. Sure, the crime scene reconstruction machine was incredible, and Lucy still couldn't understand the inner workings of it, but Lucy was elated to finally go to her first scene, or at least field work. Her heart did flip-flops as she thought about, rather dramatically, about sneaking around London with the Prof for clues.

Lucy froze, eyes flicking to the paper sitting counter, the one that had shown up there last night. Lucy started to breathe heavily, mind racing. No one had been at her flat the day prior, except Alfendi. Her mind made up excuses for why it couldn't be him. He just brought it in, he must of seen it sitting there. It was on my doorstep and he was just being a gentleman. Alfendi was helping the sender, being a good friend. Lucy's breaths slowed down, but she knew that she hadn't convinced herself one bit. The only thing bothering her was that she didn't think that the Prof would be so careless as to just leave a letter for her lying there.

Struggling with her plimsolls, Lucy checked off the context of every letter up to yesterday's installment. Each had a little detail that only someone very close to her would know, or someone who was always in contact with her. Both categories fit Alfendi. Many of the letters even had events and happenings that only he could know. Her thought process was cut off by a knock on the door, but Lucy was prepared this time, and looked as presentable as she could manage. Running over to the door, Lucy opened it with a smile.

"Morning, Lucy," Alfendi smiled back, and held out the hazelnut coffee cup out to her. Lucy took it gratefully, and sipped it cautiously. She grinned, realizing Alfendi had gotten her the blend that was her favorite.

"'Ow'd you know this were my favorite?" Lucy quizzed.

"Hazelnut is a rather strong scent, and that is usually the aroma you bring into the office. Oh, I got you a cinnamon bun as well. You can eat on the way." Lucy blushed.

"T' very much, Prof. You didn't 'ave to go though all this trouble," Lucy felt guilty. Alfendi waved it off, and motioned her to follow him. Closing the door behind her, Lucy eagerly followed the Prof to a small red car. Raising her eyebrow, Lucy gave a confused glance at Alfendi. The car looked like an antique, but was in better condition than most cars on the street today. The roof was black, and the dull red paint had little wear at all. Alfendi laughed.

"It was my father's, and he couldn't bear to let his precious car fall to disrepair. He pays for annual check-ups." Lucy giggled. "Ridiculous, isn't it?" Lucy took the passenger side, and Alfendi slid into the driver's seat. Alfendi turned the key, and the engine gave a quiet hum before starting up. He tossed the pastry bag onto Lucy's lap, and she quickly glanced up.

"I dunno if I can eat in a car as swanky as this, Prof!" Alfendi chuckled.

"Don't worry. I'll be driving and eating a muffin. I have it cleaned before it goes anywhere, just in case father ever checks in. _Why would he anyway?"_ Lucy looked down quickly as Potty Prof emerged unexpectedly. She knew family was a tough subject, Lucy never figured that it would come up in a conversation. Lucy dug out his muffin and handed it to Alfendi quietly. Pulling out her bun, Lucy picked at the glazed pastry.

"I'm sorry, Prof," Lucy whispered. Her heart ached for her own family, but knew that she had it much better than Alfendi did. Alfendi was silent for a very long time, and the two drove in silence, which was louder than anything to Lucy. Finally, Alfendi spoke up.

"Lucy, you have nothing to be sorry for. It is not your fault that I am the polar opposite of my father. _I intend to keep it that way." _Alfendi shuddered as Placid gained control again. Lucy was dangerously curious.

"So why are you goin' to th' ball if you have no desire to... contact your father?" Alfendi had one answer he couldn't say aloud, not yet.

"I am required. I told you that it wouldn't exactly look good if I wasn't there, at my own father's ball."

"I don't think tha' you should have t'." Lucy crossed her arms. "I wouldn't even if it wouldn't 'look good'." Lucy put air quotes around her words, a rather peeved expression on her face. "We should have our own ball. We could invite Florence, an' Hilda, and Dusty and Sniffer could come, too." Alfendi smiled at his assistant's idea.

"I don't believe that would work, but I do appreciate the effort, Lucy." Alfendi had his gaze on the road the whole trip, and noticed that they had gone to far.

_Oh, hell. Look what you did. _Potty Prof complained.

**It wouldn't have happened if you weren't so adamant about complaining about father.**

_As if you don't have the same opinion._ Placid fell silent.

"Lucy, it looks as though we went to -" Alfendi slammed on the breaks.

"P-Prof?" Lucy whimpered. Her eyes were locked on the sight ahead of them. "Do you see it, too?" Alfendi nodded, unable to speak.

Ahead of them was most certainly their destination. Nine corpses lied across the road, each one dressed up in a uniform of the royal band, a drum stick impaled through the heart. Fresh blood seeped out onto the already bright red and gold uniforms. It was evident that these people had just died. Lucy was horrified. Pulling the car door open, the last thing Lucy heard was "Lucy?" before she promptly hurled on the side of the road, and Lucy blacked out.

* * *

When Lucy woke up, she remembered the bodies immediately. She looked around and found Alfendi instantly. He was talking to the authorities, and they looked as if they had given him a hard time, as Alfendi's hair was crimson. Sitting up, Lucy realized that was inside Alfendi's car. Lucy groaned, and felt a severe pain in the front of her head, and fell back into the plush seat of the car. She felt that the skin on her forehead was caked with dry blood.

Noticing a disturbance in the car, Alfendi dismissed the officers, who he considered useless anyway. When he arrived, Alfendi found Lucy nursing the cut she had received after passing out. He opened the door, startling Lucy.

"Are you okay?" He stood awkwardly over her, unsure of what to do. Making the best of the situation as always, Lucy smiled up at him and stretched out her hand for help up. Alfendi took it carefully, and gently pulled her up. "How's your head. I feel awful that I couldn't catch you." He frowned.

"S'okay Prof! You couldn't have been there if you 'ad super-speed!" Lucy laughed. She brought her hand up to the cut, and winced when her hand grazed the opening. "Just needs a little doctorin'!" Lucy turned her head to the scene. "Looks like we have some investigating to do, eh?"

Lucy and Alfendi worked late into the day, and did not go home into very late into the night. While they were driving they reviewed what they had learned. The culprits were definitely the Klauses. They had monogrammed one of the poor drummer's uniform. Upon further investigation, they Klaus family not only had a daughter, but a son who had passed away, who was the twin of the girl. There was news on the names as well. Cecily Klaus was the daughter of Micheal and Sue Klaus, who lost Micheal JR. at a young age. The twins were born on Christmas, and the scheme was born. They were untraceable, despite many efforts.

"Do you think we're ever gonna find 'em, Prof?" Lucy asked, the pulls of sleep calling to her.

"I do, Lucy. We have to." He handed her a letter. Her eyes widened. "Even on Sundays, when there's no post, your sender managed to leave this on your doorstep, just like yesterday," Potty Prof grumbled. Lucy opened it as soon as Alfendi dropped her off.

_Dear Lucy,_

_I will always be there to catch you when you fall. _


	10. Day Ten- The Tenth Letter

Alfendi woke up, back in his own flat for once, and felt refreshed waking up at a late time of seven. He was proud of himself for letting himself sleep in, on a work day no less. _Ah, well. There isn't much to get ready for._ Pulling on his sweater, Alfendi noticed an unfamiliar scent coming from it. It wasn't the cinnamon or blueberry aroma from the day prior's breakfast, nor the copper smell of blood. It was vaguely flowery, and reminded Alfendi of a perfume his sister Flora used to wear, but this was different. It was almost naturally like the scent of a roses and jasmine, and all the other petaled flowers Alfendi could think of.

_Lucy. _Alfendi thought. Breathing it in, Alfendi couldn't imagine why he hadn't noticed the aroma before. _Because, you dim wit, it's weird to go around sniffing our assistant. _Potty Prof remarked. Placid pushed him out of his thoughts. He assumed that had picked up Lucy's scent when Alfendi had carried her back to his car. She had looked so helpless, but he knew that it wasn't the case. The scene had been the most disturbing that he had seen in awhile, and the fact it was Lucy's very first to see in person probably made it worse. His hair shifted to crimson.

"And whose fault would that be, Mr. Agoraphobic," he snarled. **I am not agoraphobic. I just don't particularly enjoy going outside.** Placid couldn't, however, excuse the fact that the lack of field work had an effect on Lucy. He sighed audibly as he took back control, still wrapped up in Lucy's floral scent, absorbed in it. Pulling on his jeans, Alfendi made a mental note to make an effort to do more field work, as long as Lucy was at his side. Alfendi grabbed his lab coat and headed out the door, his thoughts preoccupied with the plans of days to come.

* * *

Lucy came to work early that day, determined to start part one of her plan. For Alfendi's Christmas present, she had two phases, the first being cleaning up the office. She often tried to during the slow parts of the day, but new cases and conversations always found their was to distract Lucy from getting any work done. Lucy was still groggy, but made her way to the office at the ungodly time of six, aware of Alfendi's early wake-up time.

The tired detective constable was only second to Dustin at arriving, who had obligations to be there before dawn for the early-birds, namely Alfendi. Dustin was surprised, to say the least, to see Lucy, as she was always the last to arrive in the morning. She greeted him warmly, and had a short conversation with him, wishing him the best on the holidays, as he was given both Christmas and Christmas Eve off due to the very limited amount of officers coming in that day.

When she arrived in the Mystery Room, Lucy was relieved to see that Alfendi had decided against sleeping there the night prior. Immediately, Lucy set out to clean. At home, and at her flat, Lucy was the sole person who tidied everything up. Her mother had the unorganized ethics of Alfendi, and figured that they would get along famously. Lucy's father had been at work too much before he had passed away. Lucy was the owner of her flat, and with no one else, she was a self-proclaimed clean freak, but managed to deal with Alfendi's controlled chaos.

Starting her work, Lucy started to hum as she pulled out her supplies. Lucy grabbed the feather duster and the dust spray, and a familiar tune form in her mind. The tune echoed from the empty walls of the Mystery Room, the papers listening intently as she filed them away while dusting. She smiled as the chorus came into her mind, and laughed when she messed up one of the notes, thinking about how Dustin would never even attempt to clean the office. Deciding that it would be much better to add words to the music in her head, Lucy began the song over and began to sing softly.

* * *

Alfendi arrived two hours after Lucy, not aware that she had beaten him. He walked the halls leading to the Mystery Room, when the sound of music arrived to his ears. At first he assumed that the voice was Lucy's but it wasn't a Christmas carol, and checking his watch, which read ten past eight, he was convinced that Lucy wouldn't be that early. The soprano on the other didn't sound like hers either. It was a bittersweet melody, and the tone was completely different from Lucy's own. Alfendi stepped softly nearer, as not to disturb the voice on the other side and listened as the song started over again, almost like a record.

_The summer air was soft and warm, the feeling right, the Paris night, did its best to please us. _Alfendi realized that the song was one that came out long ago; it was a bittersweet love song.

_And strolling down the Elysee, w__e had a drink in each café, __and you, __you talked of politics, philosophy and I, __smiled like Mona Lisa, __we had our chance, __it was a fine and true romance. _Alfendi listened closer enthralled with the siren's voice on the other side, but didn't dare disturb it as she broke into the chorus.

_I can still recall our last summer_  
_I still see it all_  
_Walks along the Seine, laughing in the rain_  
_Our last summer_  
_Memories that remain._

Alfendi reminisced of his own summer, when his own world had changed so much. Lucy had arrived that summer, and brought the life that the season offered with her. His own memories came flooding back; Lucy, solving her first case with him, up until her solving the final case that closed when the leaves changed colors. Alfendi thought that nothing could've ended the summer better than having his name cleared by his own assistant. He certainly hoped that it wasn't their last summer together.

_We made our way along the river_  
_And we sat down in the grass_  
_By the Eiffel tower_  
_I was so happy we had met_  
_It was the age of no regret_  
_Oh yes_  
_Those crazy years, that was the time_  
_Of the flower-power_  
_But underneath we had a fear of flying_  
_Of getting old, a fear of slowly dying_  
_We took the chance_  
_Like we were dancing our last dance_

Alfendi started to mouth the words, the words slowly coming back to him. He remembered when his father had played this record, and took him to the play when he was younger. It was an American musical group that was touring, performing _Mama Mia!_ Alfendi remembered that his father had his head tilted down during this song, his own memories troubling him. His son wouldn't find out why the great professor had been so solemn that night, and why he wasn't allowed to mention the name 'Claire' for a very long time. By the time the chorus came around again, Alfendi was singing softly to himself.

_I can still recall our last summer_  
_I still see it all_  
_In the tourist jam, round the Notre Dame_  
_Our last summer_  
_Walking hand in hand_  
_Paris restaurants_  
_Our last summer_  
_Morning croissants_  
_Living for the day, worries far away_  
_Our last summer_  
_We could laugh and play_

Alfendi silently opened the door, to find Lucy cleaning up the Mystery Room by herself, the lyrics flowing from her mouth. He had stopped singing at the chorus, but so had Lucy. He recalled the next part, but Lucy seemed unable to sing the next part. A troubled look appeared on her face, similar to his father's. It was a look of loss. He realized that this was the reason Lucy had started over the song so many times. Finally, she choked out the unfamiliar verse.

_And now you're working in a bank_  
_The family man, the football fan_  
_And your name is Harry. _Tears streamed down Lucy's cheeks now.  
_How dull it seems_  
_Yet you're the hero of my dreams_

Alfendi knew now what was causing her distress. The plot line came into full focus, and he realized that Lucy was remembering her own father. The girl in the musical was trying to find her father for her wedding, when Lucy wouldn't have that opportunity. Lucy looked as though she wouldn't be able to finish the song, or cleaning for that matter. Alfendi began again for her, alarming her.

_ I can still recall our last summer_  
_I still see it all_  
_Walks along the Seine, laughing in the rain_  
_Our last summer_  
_Memories that_ _remain_

This was the part of the song when Harry, Bill, and Sam all joined in with Sophie. Lucy looked at the Prof with wide eyes, who stopped half-way through the chorus.

"Would you like to continue?" Alfendi asked gently. Lucy nodded, and their voices carried on in harmony.

_I can still recall our last summer_  
_I still see it all_  
_In the tourist jam, round the Notre Dame_  
_Our last summer_  
_Walking hand in hand_  
_Paris restaurants_  
_Our last summer_  
_Morning croissants_  
_We were living for the day, worries far away_

Lucy had stopped crying by the end, but her and Alfendi had moved closer together through the course of the song. Alfendi looked down on her, surveying her every detail. The way her scarlet eyes gleamed with emotion, and her hat complemented her pale brown hair. Lucy stared back up at him, lost in the way his pale purple hair, which could fall shades darker over his amber irises at any moment, hung in waves around his head. Alfendi cleared his throat, realizing how awkward the situation was.

"W-we still have an investigation to do," he stammered. Lucy nodded and smiled timidly.

"Of course, Prof. Lets put these people behind bars."

* * *

They worked the day away, sending multiple samples down to Florence in the process. They recovered several blood samples from the day before, from the victims, and had them processed. Half-way through the day, Lucy and Alfendi caught news of the tenth day of the murders. Lucy wasn't as sick this time, but brought her hand to her head where the cut was, where a thin bandage covered the damage. Yet, they worked on. A point arrived in the day when Lucy had to bring down the evidence right to Florence.

"I've got it, Prof! It feels like I haven't seen Florence in ages!" Lucy laughed. Alfendi rolled his eyes.

"You talked with her just the other day, and have been on the phone with her countless times today," he argued. "But you may go." Alfendi relented. Lucy smiled, and ran off.

"Lo, Florence!" Lucy shouted upon arrival. Florence nearly screamed, and jumped up from her chair in alarm. "Sorry, Florence- you can stand?" Florence looked at her before sitting down.

"Y-yes- _Achoo!-_ I can, but not for as long as it would be worth it at work," she confessed. "Do you have the sample?" Florence coughed. Lucy handed it to her, smiling. "Ah, th-th- _Achoo!-_ thank you, Lucy. And here," she handed Lucy a white envelope. "It was on the door to the lab this morning, with specific instructions to give this to you. Rather exciting, no?" Lucy grabbed it quickly, and read it.

_My dear Lucy,_

_You have the most beautiful scent even without perfume, and I wish that it could be there all around me always, like how I wish you were. _

"Ee, Florence, these are gettin' too cute," Florence laughed, and followed it up by coughing.

"So are you going to the ball?" Lucy smiled.

"Yes, I'm coming back in time," Lucy replied.

"Ah, do you have a dress?" Florence was going as well, and already had hers.

"Erm, dress?" Lucy asked, confused.

"It is a ball, Lucy."

"Well, no, then. I don't," she groaned. Florence smiled.

"Then it's settled. We'll go tomorrow, after work."


End file.
